Atherosclerotic vascular disease is one of the main causes of adult mortality in developed countries. The sudden occlusion of a coronary artery subsequent to a plaque rupture remains one of the most frequent causes of myocardial infarction.
Percutaneous coronary intervention, when performed promptly, is an efficient reperfusion method. However, there remains issues with the opening of coronary arteries. Despite efficient and prompt intervention, some patients will present a condition known as no-reflow in which, in spite of the fact that the coronary artery is opened without residual stenosis, myocardial perfusion is diminished. No-reflow may be caused by two distinct phenomenons. A first one is the distal embolization of microparticles in blood vessels. A second phenomenon is reperfusion injury.
It has been shown that aspiration catheters are efficient in removing blood clots from arteries in the myocardial infarction status and thus improve the blood flow in the infarction zone. However, despite their efficiency, such catheters do not necessarily prevent the distal embolization of microparticles subsequent to their use. Also, such catheters do not allow drug infusion distally to the occlusion prior to thrombus aspiration.